Senators Joe Paskvan, Dennis Egan, and Gary Stevens during the closeout hearing of the Senate Finance DEED Subcommittee, March 20, 2012
This blog contains highlights from the Alaska Education Update. The update is issued daily during session and contains detailed summaries of education issues under consideration by the Alaska State Legislature. If there is a hearing on a Monday, a report will, with few exceptions, be released by Tuesday morning. There is also a weekly edition of the update. During interim, reports are issued only when there has been action. Interim action may include hearings, bill signings, the release of the Governor's proposed budget for the next fiscal year, and other items that may be of interest to the education community.

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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Chugach School District's Performance Pay for Teachers

During the Monday, February 7, 2011 House Education Committee Hearing Chugach School District Superintendent Bob Crumley explained the district's performance pay program.  He said teachers were skeptical when the program began, and thinks performance pay has received a black eye because it has been rolled out poorly and only focused on student test results. 

Their system has 11 different ways teachers and principals can earn performance pay.  Lagging indicators are test results, they come at the end.  The leading indicators are an array of things, including developing individual learning plans, being involved as a mentor or a mentee, tutoring, becoming highly qualified, and attaining additional credentials can all earn teachers performance pay. 

The different components are all voluntary, so if a teacher philosophically disagrees with an item, they don't have to do it.  Teacher pay incentives are substantial, and raises are attached to performance pay.  This year teachers in the Chugach School District each earned an additional $10,200 for performance pay.  

A link to the Chugach School District's webpage on performance pay: http://www.chugachschools.com/employment/index.html